Green Party MLA holding forum on Electoral Reform in PG

Green Party MLA for Cowichan Valley Sonia Furstenau is making a stop in Prince George to talk about the upcoming electoral reform.

This fall, residents will choose whether they want to keep the current first-past-the-post system or change to a system of proportional representation.

“Unfortunately we are seeing a downward trend in voter turnout and seeing an increase in cynicism and a sense that votes don’t matter and seeing campaigns that are highly adversarial and highly negative, and really focusing on who you don’t want representing you in the legislature,” says Furstenau.

Prince George-Valemount MLA Shirley Bond has warned northerners about familiarizing themselves with the new systems and how they work so their voices can be heard.

“My concern is about the fact that there are three models being suggested for people who want to consider proportional representation, two of which have never been used anywhere in the world.”

“[The] Dual Member Proportional cuts the number of ridings in half. There will be two MLAs chosen, only one of them is elected locally and the other one is based on provincial popular vote. So you don’t even know who the second representative is going to be,” Bond said in an interview last month.

“Proportional representation would mean that here on Vancouver Island we would have 30 per cent of the legislature represented by liberals, as 30 per cent of voters on the Island voted for liberals, and up in the north we would have representation or all the people who feel their votes go nowhere.”